Finding Nemo

Now that we understand Kali in terms of her looks and her companions, lets try to know the different forms of Kali. As we have seen in our scriptures, Kali has been celebrated as a goddess but she has secured the highest pedestal not in the Puranic scriptures but the Tantric scriptures. The tantra knowledge and the followers of the Tantric school of thought consider Kali as source of immeasurable, never-ending power that goes beyond any imagination. Hence the Tantric school celebrates Kali in similar way as the Puranic school celebrated Gauri. Just like Gauri or Lalita is worshipped on the nights of waxing moon, Kali is worshipped on the nights of waning moon. In other words, Kali puja starts after purnima and culminates on amavasya. A mention of Kali puja is seen in Ramayana when Meghnaad or Indrajit goes into a hidden cave. Later when Indrajit was killed, Ravana invoked Mahiravana - this king of subterranean world and a devotee of Kali to offer Ram and Lakshmana as sacrific...

In my last post we saw how the classification of the females depended upon their measurement against the social periphery or the “Lakshman Rekha”.  We saw how the society called the fearless, strong and self-willed women as Kali. However, do we even know who is Kali?  Many or all from the region of Bengal and North-East India have worshipped Kali and have known her for ages. Almost every region of India has known Kali in different forms and in different descript. Most of us though know Kali for being a naked goddess instilling fear in the hearts of those who do wrong. Kali is the ultimate power of destruction, destroying every last bit of attachment and thus marks a new beginning. Known for her endless powers and a fearful form, Kali is thus more popular in the Tantric approach of Hinduism.  I shall try my level best in understanding her and describing her for you and myself.  Kali’s form needs no description, as we all must have seen her as a dark skin...

For the last couple of weeks, I have been tied down to a corner due to my broken foot. I am unable to move and unable to do anything. On top of it all, the painkiller keeps me drowsy and throws me off-balance when concentrating on something important. Yet we are doing well. My family is well taken care of and the kids are happy. All thanks to my wife who stood up as a pillar on whom the household stands. True, everyone has cracked jokes at her for her being busy with her community work. I am sure that they do realize the load she carries on her shoulders of taking care of her two daughters and a grown up kid. Last evening I was watching one of the soap-operas on the television, where the lady of the house takes it on herself to expose the bad guys all around the work place playing with the lives of their co-workers slyly. Despite of her solid plan, she failed in her attempt as the evil guys got to know of her plan somehow. The situation was then turned in such a way that the lady be...

When Thomas Jefferson wrote the US Declaration of Independence, he coined the famous phrase "All men are created equal". For centuries since then the phrase has gained popularity and has exuberated its meaning in different forms. The phrase has been used in decorating the speeches, writings and reflecting the intellectual bent of mind by many. Well, I am not untouched by the vast sense of meaning of the phrase either. I love it! The challenge though comes with what follows the initial phrase – "All men are created equal,…..". It is left for the others to supplement the phrase with additional words forming a statement. And this too has been a very populist subject. I remember in the late 1990's, the editorial of one of the leading newspapers of its time used the phrase to cause quite a stir. It read – "All men are created equal, but some are more equal". This became one of the common themes for essays, group discussions, debates and other literary wo...

पाती तुम्हें लिख रहा हूँ, दिल थाम कर पढ़ना। बातें तो बहुत हैं, पर आज कुछ विशेष है कहना। चाहो तो मुझे ही दोषी कहना, पर मेरा हाल भी समझना। जो सपने हमने देखे थे, उन्हें जीवन मत समझना। जिन राहों पर चलना था, उन पर बबूल उग आये हैं, ज़रा देखना। मेरा धीमे चलना तुम्हें नापसंद था, पर तेज चलना कठिन है, ज़रा समझना। तुम दूर जा चुकी हो, पर मुझे आज भी अपने आंसुओं में पाना। अब जो भी है, वही जीवन है, इस जीवन को सुख से जीना। मैंने भी जीवन से बहुत सीखा है, तुम मेरी चिंता मत करना। अब भी सपने देखना, पर मुझे नायक मत बनाना। इस संदेसे को खूब पढ़ना, और जो अनकहा है, वह भी समझना। दोषी न तुम हो, न मैं, पर इस सज़ा को तो पड़ेगा सहना। मैं हर गम सह लूँगा, बस तुम्हारे सुख की ही करूंगा कामना। फिर से विनती करता हूँ, कभी अलविदा ना कहना, मुझे अपने आँसुओं में छुपा कर रखना। पाती तुम्हें भेज रहा हूँ, दिल थाम कर पढ़ना। 

The more I learn, the more I am amazed and realize how little do I know!  I wrote about Navratri and its significance a few months ago -  Navratri . Also, I tried to explain the Golu puja as per Tamil tradition in my previous blog -  Celebrating Navratri through toys – Golu . In these blogs, I did cover and explain the importance of each of the nine days of Navratri.  Decked up in beautiful shimmery attires people were dancing to the tunes of Bhajans and Bollwood numbers on the Dandiya floor. Being heavy on foot, I silently watched them from a corner. Though Garba and Dandiya dances are folk dances of Gujarat, I saw friends from almost every part of India and even foreigners enjoying in the dance. And then I started thinking of how the same festival is being celebrated by many in different ways. I shall try my best to summarize the nine different traditions being followed in different parts of the country for this fantastic festival.  Uttar Pradesh - T he lan...

I have been visiting my Tamil friends' home celebrating navratri and looking at their Golu. Out of curiosity and my interest in knowing their culture, we have always discussed the various aspects of the ritual and the festival. This year our kids started showing interest in observing the arrangement. And thus came the idea for this article. A lot of the information here is well known to many and can be found on many websites or other blogs. So please do not charge me with plagiarism for the common knowledge! Golu or Kolu is an arrangement of dolls usually done in the Tamil and Telugu households. Also known as Bommai Kolu iin Tamil, Bombe Habba in Kannada, Bomma Gullu in Malyalam and Bommala Koluvu in Telugu. In Tamil, Golu or Kolu means the divine presence and in Telugu it means a court of toys. Some call it Golu while other call it Kolu. Since it represents an 'arrangement' of toys on the steps, it could have been derived from the word kolum – an arrangement of dots wh...

Dakhsha Prajapati is a famous character in Hindu Mythology. Most of us remember him as a loving father who adored his daughter and doted her so muc that he did not approve of her marrying a hermit. His only flaw being the love of his daughter that eventually drove him to limits of sanity and eventually claimed the life of his daughter – Uma and thus forced Shiva to perform the tandav. What we overlook is that Brahma created Daksha as his son to be a "Prajapati" – a provider for his creation and help Brahma's creation grow. Of all the Brahma's son, Daksha was chosen to be a ruler who would create a mankind and would establish ways for it to grow. He was known to be the skilled one in every field and hence got the name – Daksha. He is known to have more than a thousand sons. Once Daksha wanted to teach his sons important lesson for future. He invited them all to his palace for a grand feast. He asked his cooks to prepare the best of the food and make sure that the...

चहचाहते पेड़ , मस्तानी पवन, शोर करती चंचल सरिता , और संजीवनी देता सूरज।  यही पा कर ही, कल ही तो डेरा लगाया था।  पेड़ भी मिले , पक्षी भी मिले , सरिता भी मिली, और सागर भी मिले, सूरज भी मिला और चाँद संग तारे भी मिले, उछलते कूदते जानवर, और शिल्प गाथा गाते पत्थर भी मिले।  तभी तो, यहीं डेरा लगाया था।  सब कुछ मिला पर कुछ अधूरा था , इस सुन्दर प्रकृति के बीच मैं अकेला था।  जो भी पाया वह मैं था और मेरा सपना था।  पर अपनी खोज में मैं सभी से दूर हो गया था।  और जो साथ थे, अपनाते ही ना थे।  तभी तो आज डेरा उखड़  गया।   क्यों था मैं अकेला? क्यों छोड़ गए मुझे सब? प्रकृति की रचना अच्छी तो मैं क्यों नहीं? मैं तो सोच रहा, तुम भी सोचो ना।  सोचना फिर तो खोजना मुझे, क्यों की कल ही तो डेरा लगाया था, और आज उखड भी गया। 

The river Ganga – one of the pillars of Indian Vedic culture is also known as "Bhaagirathi". This name came from Raja Bhagirath who is said to be reason why Ganga had to leave her heavenly abode and descend to flow on Earth. It is said that once there was a great king Sagar of the Surya dynasty. He was a Suryavanshi and a forefather of Lord Rama. Once he performed an Ashwamegha yagna in which his army follows the yagna horse. All the area that the horse travels upon then belongs to the king who performs the yagna. If anyone resists, he shall face the king's army. Unfortunately, Sagar lost his horse and then he ordered his 60,000 sons to find the same. They went all over the place uprooting life and burning forests to look for the horse. Finally they reached the ashram of Sage Kapila and found the horse tied in a corner. Enraged, they thought the meditating sage was the thief and disrupted Sage's meditation and tried to burn the ashram down. Horrified at the accusation...

We celebrated Ganesha Chaturthi about a week ago. Right after the great veneration all of us immerse the Ganesha idol into water symbolizing he deportation and mingling with the five elements of the nature. When devotees carry the idol to the nearest water body or the place for immersing the idol, they chant hymns to invite the lord again next year. What we often overlook is the philosophy we emphasize through this ritual –the cycle of nature. Hinduism follows the lunar calendar – based on the cycles of the lunar phases – waxing and waning of the moon. Following the lunar phase where we bid farewell to Lord Ganesha, the phase is used for remembering our ancestors and paying them homage. Well known as Pitra Paksha, this lunar phase lasts 15-16 days. During the Pitra Paksha, it is expected for everyone to pay homage to their ancestors in form of "Pind Daan" and pray for their wellness in the other world. The "Pind" is actually a ball made of cooked rice & barley ...

On the occasion of Janmashtami – day of Krishna's birth, we visited the temple. A large number of devotees had gathered together to offer their gratitude to the God for everything he gave us. I could see men and women of all kinds. The thought provoked me to write this post. In my previous post, I started thinking about efficiency in a diversified environment. Many communities have adopted ways to boost their efficiencies and put their differences aside. Considering the thought of improving efficiency in a diversified environment, requires choosing the most applicable path. Talk to any statistician or a process expert and they would tell you innumerable ways to calculate the best fit line amongst the so many observation points (read individuals). Economists and even human resource organizations are the biggest proponents of finding the bell curves for the best fitting policies. Each of these measures improve efficiency in operations, actions and policies for future. Unfortuna...

Being brought up in a middle class family, I have always been taught lessons in ethics and moral conduct. I grew up listening to stories of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Rani Lakshmi Bai and other great heros epitome of morality. Having received high values, I married into another high valued family. My wife complements my quest and struggle to infuse our values into our kids. Last night the whole family was watching Mahabharata and we saw how Duryodhana finally dies when Ashwathama kills the sons of Pandavas and shows him the blood stained weapons. Draupadi sees the horrific incident of her sons being killed at the hands of Ashwathama and realized the curse of Gandhari coming true. Tonight, we shall be looking at how Aswathama invokes the Brahmastra to kill Abhimanyu's unborn kids. Looking at the entire set of events we were discussing why so much of massacre? Why Krishna allowed so much of bloodshed? Why was he partial towards Pandavas – was it just his relation with Kunti ...

Thinking more about the diversity and the inclusion, I started to visualize the concept everywhere. I was asked to take up a diversity and inclusion training at my workplace the other day. To make the matters worse, they had actually tied it to my job compliance. What they told me in the training was that we work in a multinational organization and we need to be aware of different cultures and their considerations. The training was mandated by the human resource group and requested us not to form judgments by just one or two incidents. It asked us to be cognizant of the difference in cultures and develop patience. In a subtle tone, it asked us to be able to develop the sensitivity towards others - their needs, their fears and their backgrounds. Having said that, I wondered what is the organizational culture then? Why the same HR dept. does strives to instill a common set of values? Why are we all the time chased through the hallways for not following te corporate templates? Why ...

My wife has already started on her project for the 68 th Indian Independence Day program in our town as well as the county. She is doing an amazing job convening the program with so many different volunteers and great helpers. Out of curiosity, I asked her the theme and her answer was "Of course, it's Diversity!" I started thinking the real meaning of the word diversity and its implications. Trust me it has been a very interesting journey through the thoughts. Diversity means the state of being diverse or having variety to be precise. Variety can be in multiple forms – dresses, food, mannerisms, opinions and thoughts. In the various interactions with people, systems and processes we all come across so many diversified characters on a daily basis. Yet we harp on the need to understand the diversity and understand it. This is what drive my curios and inquisitive mind to ponder. I believe diversity is a fact of life and nature. The Mother Nature supports so many living...

जाग उठा हूँ मैं, उस बेदर्द नींद से, जो हमेशा साथ में, कितने सारे सपने ले आती है। उन्हीं टूटे सपनों की टीस, अब भी महसूस होती है। उन्हीं अनकहे सपनों में न जाने, किस किस से बात होती है। इन्हीं सपनों में, सारी ज़िन्दगी उतर आती है। कभी शिखर पे ले जाती है, कभी खाई में पटक जाती है। हर सपना मुझे घाव नया दे जाता है। जमीन के नीचे और नीचे, दफ़न कर जाता है। सपने सच नहीं होते, यह मैंने सीखा है। पर सपने ना देखूं, यह भी कहाँ हो पता है? सपने मन का आईना हैं, तभी तो मैं सपने देखता हूँ। और हर बार चोट खा कर, अपने घाव पर आंसुओं का मलहम रखता हूँ। जाग तो चुका हूँ मैं, उस बेदर्द नींद से, पर फिर से अपने आगोश में लेने को, चले आ रहे हैं, यह काँच के सपने।

Today we were celebrating July 4 th – the US Independence day. While waiting for the fireworks show to begin, the kids asked me to tell them a story. Even before I could start, the younger one interrupted me with a question – "Why do we tell stories? And how do you know all the stories?" the question left me thinking for a long time. Today's blog is my attempt to answer the same question with inspirations from many great storytellers. Recently, I had come across another alumni of my college. He has taken up a full time profession of being a story teller. At the same time, a lot of other colleagues have been stressing the importance of storytelling. What is storytelling and why is it so important? Let's first understand what is a story? A story is an expression of an idea along with the situation that helps explain the idea in a better manner. The entire scenario is laid out in such a manner that the central idea is easily understood by listener or the reader. The per...